Kierkegaard and the Legitimacy of the Comic: Understanding the Relevance of Irony, Humor, and the Comic for Ethics and Religion

While some see the comic as trivial, fit mainly for amusement or distraction, Søren Kierkegaard disagrees. This book examines Kierkegaard’s earnest understanding of the nature of the comic and how even the triviality of comic jest is deeply tied to ethics and religion. It rigorously explicates terms such as “irony,” “humor,” “jest,” and “comic” in Kierkegaard, revealing them to be essential to his philosophical and theological program, beyond aesthetic interest alone. Drawing centrally from Kierkegaard’s most concentrated treatment of these ideas, Concluding Unscientific Postscript (1846), this account argues that he defines the comic as a “contradiction” or misrelation that is essentially (though not absolutely) painless because it provides a “way out.” The comic lies in a contradiction between norms and so springs from one’s viewpoint, whether ethical or religious. “Irony” and “humor” play essential transitional roles for Kierkegaard’s famous account of the stages of existence because subjective development is closely tied to one’s capacity to perceive the comic, making the comic both diagnostic of and formative for one’s subjective maturity. For Kierkegaard, the Christian is far from humorless, instead having the maximal comic perception because he has the highest possible subjective development. The book demonstrates that the comic is not the expression of a particular pseudonym or of a single period in Kierkegaard’s thinking but is an abiding and fundamental concept for him. It finds his comic understanding even outside of Postscript, locating it in such differing works as Prefaces (1844), Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits (1847), and the Corsair affair (c.1845-1848). The book also examines the comic in contemporary Kierkegaard scholarship. First, it argues that Deconstructionists, while accurately perceiving the widespread irony in Kierkegaard’s corpus, incorrectly take the irony to imply a lack of earnest interest in philosophy and theology, misunderstanding Kierkegaard on the nature of irony. Second, it considers two theological readings to argue that their positions, while generally preferable to the Deconstructionists’, lack the same attentiveness to the comic’s role in Kierkegaard. Their significant theological arguments would be strengthened by increased appreciation of the legitimate power of the comic for cultivating ethics and religion.

Literature & Fiction

Williams, Will

History & Criticism

Lexington Books

While some see the comic as trivial, fit mainly for amusement or distraction, Soren Kierkegaard disagrees. This book examines Kierkegaard's earnest understanding of the nature of the comic and how even the triviality of comic jest is deeply tied to ethics and religion. It rigorously explicates terms such as "irony," "humor," "jest," and "comic" in Kierkegaard, revealing them to be essential to his philosophical and theological program, beyond aesthetic interest alone. Drawing centrally from Kierkegaard's most concentrated treatment of these ideas, Concluding Unscientific Postscript (1846), this account argues that he defines the comic as a "contradiction" or misrelation that is essentially (though not absolutely) painless because it provides a "way out." The comic lies in a contradiction between norms and so springs from one's viewpoint, whether ethical or religious. "Irony" and "humor" play essential transitional roles for Kierkegaard's famous account of the stages of existence because subjective development is closely tied to one's capacity to perceive the comic, making the comic both diagnostic of and formative for one's subjective maturity. For Kierkegaard, the Christian is far from humorless, instead having the maximal comic perception because he has the highest possible subjective development. The book demonstrates that the comic is not the expression of a particular pseudonym or of a single period in Kierkegaard's thinking but is an abiding and fundamental concept for him. It finds his comic understanding even outside of Postscript, locating it in such differing works as Prefaces (1844), Upbuilding Discourses in Various Spirits (1847), and the Corsair affair (c.1845-1848). The book also examines the comic in contemporary Kierkegaard scholarship. First, it argues that Deconstructionists, while accurately perceiving the widespread irony in Kierkegaard's corpus, incorrectly take the irony to imply a lack of earnest interest in philosophy and theology, misunderstanding Kierkegaard on the nature of irony. Second, it considers two theological readings to argue that their positions, while generally preferable to the Deconstructionists', lack the same attentiveness to the comic's role in Kierkegaard. Their significant theological arguments would be strengthened by increased appreciation of the legitimate power of the comic for cultivating ethics and religion.

Politics & Social Sciences

Philosophy

Do you know which countries border Afghanistan? Or the difference between Micronesia and Melanesia? And that 51 member states existed in 1945 at the founding of the UN and 192 exist today? It's hard to know everything about geography, that amazing science that explains the interaction of diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the Earth's surface. However, I Used to Know That: Geography explores both the physical and human aspects of the world in short order. With its entertaining, easy-to-understand language, this little book takes on a broad subject with ease. Inside you'll find: 
<ul>
<li>The physical world: rivers &amp; coasts, tectonics, climate and weather, global issues 
</li> <li>The human world: world population growth, settlements and how they happened, industry and energy, and development 
</li> <li>Countries by continent maps, complete with capital cities and population counts 
</li> <li>Maps and a "tree" illustration, showing all branches of geography 
</li>
</ul>
 With its "a-ha!" facts, useful illustrations, and interesting sidebars, I Used to Know That: Geography offers answers to common geography questions and gives you all you need to know to start a provocative conversation at your next party.

I Used to Know That: Geography: stuff you forgot from school

Reference

Readers' Digest

I Used to Know That: Geography

MICHAEL OMARA

Geography in Bite-Sized Chunks

Encompassing the essentials of both the physical world and the human world,Geography in Bite-sized Chunksis an absorbing,accessible guide to all things geographical. Have you forgotten all you ever learned about the essentials of climate and weather? Barely remember what a tectonic plate is and what it does? In this book you'll find the answers to these questions and many more - broken down into fascinating bite-sized chunks. Written in a highly accessible and engaging style, the subject is broken down into fundamental topics including the physical world, the human world, global issues, climate change, industry and the hydrological cycle. As a concise guide to key geographical topics, this book is the perfect starting point for anyone who is curious and concerned about planet earth, or who just wants to refresh the long-forgotten knowledge they learned at school.

Geography in Bite-sized Chunks

History

Michael O"Mara

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Books by Williams, Will